FXCM and Saxo go head to head on all fronts!

Looks like the battle between Saxo Bank and FXCM which I’m extensively covering here in the past few weeks is gearing up!

Saxo Bank recently announced the appointment of ITOCHU Petroleum’s Executive Director, Jimmy Ang, to its board of directors. This move is nothing less than strategic as ITOCHU is one of the largest Asian corporations and appointment of Jimmy Ang should strengthen Saxo’s ties with the local corporations. I doubt that Jimmy’s oil experience, as Saxo describes it, was the real reason behind his appointment.

On the other front, the much more effective FXCM not only strengthens its presence in the European and Nordic markets, gradually forcing Saxo Bank out, but is also looking for a Head of European Marketing & Business Development who has to be Trilingual speaking: English, German, and French (Saxo: get the message?).

If I were a high profile Saxo employee I’d start thinking which way the wind was blowing and would make sure my CV is updated…

Below is the job description as posted by FXCM in case any Saxo employee is reading this…

Head of European Marketing & Business Development (HEMBD) at Forex Capital Markets, LLC
Location: London, Berlin or Paris (United Kingdom)
URL: http://www.fxcm.com
Type: Full-time
Experience: Director
Functions: Business Development, Marketing, Finance
Industries: Financial Services
Job Code: Head of European Marketing & Business Development

Job Description
The firm has recently opened an office in France and expects to have local offices in Germany and Italy by the end of 2008. Our goal is to capture 20% of the European market for Forex and CFD trading from our competitors over the next two years.

The HEMBD will work closely with FXCM’s local European offices, the firm’s Marketing Department (New York) and will report to FXCM’s Chief Marketing Officer and President of International Operations. Candidates must be trilingual in English, German, and French to apply. European based opportunity (London, Paris, or Berlin office)

Primary responsibilities include (not limited to):

• Translation & Messaging:
Supervise and at times execute the translation of marketing and sales messaging (copy) into native languages.
Assist New York staff in communicating with local media vendors and service providers.
• Local Public Relations:
Supervise local PR efforts, including FXCM local market analysts.
• Market Research:
Provide regular reports on the competitive landscape and provide tactical advice to NY.
• Business Development:
Meet with potential local partners partnerships and help manage existing relationships.

Qualifications:

• Must be eligible to work in the respective country
• Bachelor’s degree in a related area
• Trilingual in English, German, and French. Additional European languages a plus
• 5+ years of experience with a deep understanding of European retail traders
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work well independently
• Travel required-up to 50%
• European based opportunity (London, Paris, or Berlin office)

UNIQUE CAREER OPPORTUNITY:

• The opportunity to join a successful, dynamic and international environment, which will commit to helping you grow personally and professionally.
• A competitive salary plus benefits package.

Company Description
FXCM, an INC 500 company, leads the rapidly expanding field of online currency trading services for retail and institutional traders. The firm operates out of offices in New York, Plano, San Francisco, London, Paris, Dubai, Hong Kong and Sydney. With substantial operations around the world, FXCM Group currently services over 125,000 live accounts via the FXCM Trading Platform from nearly 200 different countries. FXCM has a proven track record of reliability and success, executing on average 7,000,000 trades per month accounting for $500 billion in notional trading volume. Additional information can be found at www.fxcm.com.